Fact Check: Did Trump's Mar-a-Lago host an event for furries with dancers in aristocratic outfits?

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: A high-profile gala held at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago last weekend quickly became a fodder for online commentary and ridicule, with some characterizing it as a ‘furries’ event. Photos and videos from the American Humane Society annual awards celebration, which featured performers in dog-themed costumes was circulated on social media. Let us fact what kind of event it was.

Claim: Donald Trump hosted an event for furries

The event, which drew online criticism for being 'creepy,' 'weird,' and hosting 'MAGA furries,' saw dog mask-wearing dancers in aristocratic outfits.

The costuming prompted some online commentators to suggest that the event catered to 'furries,' or people who adopt animal characteristics, often in costume form.

Critics of the costume performers also noted that the media portrayals often depict the members of the furry community as being driven by sexual motives.

“Furries at the Southern White House! Wonder what MAGA will say about this!” one person commented.

“This is some weird a -- dystopian sh*t,” liberal political commentator Vince Wilson weighed in on X, while others preferred to think the South Florida scenes were artificially generated. One X user asked the platform’s AI tool Grok, “Is this AI?”

Some even compared the scenes to unsettling scenes from Stanley Kubrick films, such as 'The Shining' and 'Eyes Wide Shut', both of which depicted people wearing animal masks in sinister contexts.

Fact Check: The event was hosted for animal charity, not a furries event

Although the costumes drew criticism, the event hosted at Mar-a-Lago was the American Humane Society’s 15th Annual Hero Dog Awards Gala. 

The animal welfare organization celebrated and fundraised for canines who work with law enforcement and first responders.

The event included cocktails, dinner, and professional dancers.

The American Humane Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group, was founded nearly 150 years ago and says it 'rescued, cared for and protected more than 1.4 billion animals and expanded life-changing programs to help them thrive' in 2025.

Hence, the claim that it was a furries event is false.

Donald Trump's disinterest in pets

The president arrived at the event on time and addressed the crowd.

Trump is among the few presidents not own a pet while in office. His reasons for this vary. He has cited his supposed lack of time, though he still has enough to golf a quarter of the year, and how pet ownership 'feels a little phony,' whatever that means.

Trump’s first wife, Ivana, revealed he had no desire for pets before entering politics, either. She wrote in her memoir that Trump didn’t get along with her poodle, Chappy. "Chappy," she added, “had an equal dislike of Donald.”